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9/8/08
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10 comments
Lee-Lincoln cocaine ring expands, details revealed
BANGOR, Maine — The cocaine ring that federal prosecutors claim operated for nearly 4½ years and ranged from northern Penobscot County to Costa Rica included more people than the 14 — two of whom are incarcerated on related drug charges — indicted in the case. At least six others, four of whom have been charged separately, were involved in the operation, according to information recently filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor. Information about what turned out to be a major drug-distribution ring first became public in November 2006 when Michael Blish, 37, of Lee and a convicted sex offender in Maine waived indictment and pleaded guilty to being part of a drug conspiracy. It was not until May 2008, when an indictment handed up by a federal grand jury the previous November was unsealed, that the scope of the operation was revealed. Michael Mayer, 54, of Jupiter, Fla., and Costa Rica allegedly supplied the others in the distribution ring with a kilo-gram of cocaine once a month between January 2002 and June 1, 2005, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey, who is prosecuting the case. Individuals would drive to Florida and bring the drug back to Maine where it was divided into smaller quantities that were sold to distributors for subsequent resale to users. After an alleged dispute over money, members of the drug ring obtained cocaine through November 2005 from Laurent “Larry” Provost, 60, of Woonsocket, R.I., who then was living in Mansfield, Mass. That relationship ended after less than six months in a disagreement over money and the quality of the drugs, Casey said earlier this year. The ring, with the help of Blish, then turned to two people from the Dominican Republic from Lawrence, Mass., whom prosecutors have not named. They were arrested in New Hampshire on unrelated drug charges in January 2006 and are serving federal prison terms, Casey said. Where the members of the group obtained drugs after that has not been made public. Robert Lancaster, 33, of Kingman last month was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison and four years of super-vised release for his part in the conspiracy in one of the cases filed separately. He admitted, according to court documents, that he went to Florida twice with Mark “Goober” Russell, 41, of Lincoln to bring cocaine back to Maine. In addition to Blish, Lancaster and the Dominicans, two other people — Anthony “Tony” Martin and James White — have been named in court documents as having been involved in the distribution ring. A search of the court’s elec-tronic case filing system showed that no one named “An-thony Martin” or “Tony Mar-tin” is facing federal charges in Maine. A 44-year-old Lincoln man named James White was sentenced in June 2007 to more than seven years in federal prison for manufacturing marijuana in the basement of his Half Township Road home. It could not be confirmed Friday whether the marijuana grower and the James White involved in the cocaine distribution ring were the same person. At least three of the dozen defendants originally indicted last year have agreed to plead guilty. Provost pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy with in-tent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and Social Security fraud. In a plea agreement with prosecutors, he agreed not to appeal a sentence of more than 37 months in federal prison. Preston Chubbuck, 43, of Springfield also has pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. He agreed not to appeal a sentence of more than five years, accord-ing to court documents. Prosecutors described Chub-buck in May as the confidential informant that helped bring down the drug distribution ring. His role as an informant became public after he failed to appear at court proceeding and reneged on a previous agreement to plead guilty last year. He reportedly continued to use drugs and participate in drug deals without informing his U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency contacts. Donald “Donny” Russell, 50, of Lincoln, brother of co-defendant Mark Russell, is scheduled to plead guilty to drug conspiracy and Social Security fraud on Sept. 30 in federal court in Bangor. Donald Russell reportedly received disability benefits because he is legally blind, but the payments allegedly received made him ineligible for Social Security benefits. No court documents have been filed stating that he has a plea agreement with prosecu-tors. Mark Russell and Jeffrey Whitehead, 54, of Enfield were indicted by a federal grand jury and added to the case in July. Both men are incarcerated on drug charges. They pleaded not guilty last month to the charges in Maine. Mark Russell is serving a nearly five-year sentence in North Carolina on drug trafficking and possession charges. He was arrested in February 2004 with more than 3½ ounces of cocaine on his way back from Florida headed for Maine. A third Russell brother, Richard “Rat” Russell, 48, of Lincoln, also is facing drug conspiracy charges in the federal case in Maine. Whitehead is scheduled to be released in December after serving nearly two years in federal prison. He was indicted on drug charges in August 2006 after selling cocaine and heroin the previous summer to under-cover officers. He was sentenced in January 2007 to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to the charges. He is ex-pected to be credited with time for good behavior and for the 3½ months he was held while awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors have declined to estimate the street value of the drugs members of the ring distributed, but the indictment indicates that a Florida supplier was paid more than $35,000 over a three-month period in 2005. Several of the defendants are expected to forfeit property purchased with the illegal proceeds from the drug money. According to court documents, Blish told investigators he paid $1,550 an ounce for cocaine purchased in Florida and $1,000 an ounce for cocaine purchased in Lawrence, Mass. Once the drugs were repacked in smaller quantities, Blish sold an “eight ball” — one-eighth ounce of the drug — for $250. Mayer, the alleged Florida-based kingpin in the operation during its early years is in custody in Central America awaiting extradition to Maine. A man who identified himself as “Mike Mayer,” called the Bangor Daily News last month. He said that he was incarcerated in Costa Rica waiting to be turned over to American authorities. The man also said he was not guilty and could not have been involved in the conspiracy in June 2005 because he was then in a Florida hospital recovering from a stroke and heart attack. Casey, the federal prosecutor, said he could not confirm from the details the caller gave whether the man was Mayer. Others facing charges in the case are: Jeffrey Polk, 36, of Alaska. Daniel “Danny” Littlefield, 49, of Lee. Troy Littlefield, 42, of Oak-field. Robert Donath, 28, of Lincoln. Peter Glidden, 31, of Smith-field. Nancy Squeglia, 51, of East Millinocket. Brent “Cowboy” Noyes, 57, of Lincoln. The Littlefields are related but are not siblings, according to prosecutors.
Comments
This, in Maine is unbelieveable...but at the same time, believable. The Internal Revenue Service cannot check up on everybody that has an average annual income of $24,000.00 or less, then see them driving $40,000.00 automobiles or trucks or SUV's, and live in a moderately nice home or apartment, with all the bills paid up-to-date, and coming and going when "normal" working hours are in effect, but people can warn the IRS just the same. Then there may be potential cause to investigate. Whatever...these people who were caught, could be just a few that are involved in drug-smuggling and sales in the US. What I would like to see is this: I worked in Harlingen, Texas once. I also worked in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Also, California and Texas. Whenever I would cross the border, or be approaching an "INS/DEA Stop" along the interstate, there always were "drug dogs" that would sniff my vehicle, all-around and under it. The officers would always check my identification, driver's license and other documents. Why cannot the entire US be incorporating "INS/DEA Stops", (in key and non-key locations) and with the cooperation of the State Police and Sheriff units for each state, controlled-substance checks as well as proving everyone has the proper documentation to be in the US, throughout the US in certain areas may prove effective. Would one not begin to think that anything as I suggested would be more effective, rather than what the US is doing now to prevent drug-trafficking and illegal immigration to infiltrate our states like gangerine? Throw the book at all of these bums and continue to get the names of those up and down the "line" as well. I hope they keep these RATS off the streets!!!!! If further proof was needed that drugs are everywhere, this should provide it. A previous poster wrote of illegal immigratnts and their part in the drug culture. While this may be a factor, I think the people of rural Penobscot County must come to grips with the fact that the people mentioned in this article were, I'm quite sure, "homegrown." I lived in both Lincoln and Lee in the 1970's and most of those names sound like "local" names to me. Alot of people seem to cling to the notion that drug dealers are almost exclusively young, minorities and urban. That is certainly not the case here. I 'm sure this situation saddens and sickens the people of the area. As a resident of the Lincoln area, I happen to know many of these names. Some names more than others, but needless to say, I know a few. Knowing these few that I do, I know that some of them had the biggest hearts in the town of Lincoln. Some of them took in children, when they had no place to stay. They donated to charitable organizations. Most of them didn't have anything that a normal family would have had. Their children had new clothes, but they shopped from Wal Mart and K Mart, they didnt shop at the mall and buy them hundred dollars outfits. Some of them had hospital bills, with no insurance, becuase they couldnt afford it. Their children had jobs at a young age, and continued to go on to college, even dispite what was happening in the home. this is because no matter what they did, there was always love in that family. this is more to say than most familes, even ones who are not in a drug area. Many families who have money, buy their children out with this money, let them drive fancy cars and whatnot. Not some of these families. The parent or parents were trying to instill better in their children. there is no doubt about it, some of them have done wrong, and they know it. They are not denying that fact. But to say to keep them off the streets, they need to get rid of most of Lincoln, I know it has only gotten worse, and this group is only one of the smaller set of druggies in the town. Look at some of the more influential people in the town who use. Some of these people dont even use, but they are the ones in trouble for bringing it to the area. Let's take them all down, instead of the providers, because now that they are gone, Lincoln residents will find someone else to get it from. EVERYONE that was involved knew they had done wrong, but what about everyone who was involved that is not mentiopned. they get to go on with their happy little drug lives. Keep that in mind, the streets will not be safe until all the users and dealers are off the streets, mainly users, because someone will pick up dealing, and it starts over again. if there were not any users, there would be no need for the dealers, and such. as for the age factor, no study proved that dealers were young, minorites, and urban. Dealers have proven to be anyone, there is no discrimating there. and some of the names are local, and some are not, but you know what, your name must be local too, and it is hard enough for them to face society now, because their friends loved them while most of them knew, but you fall off the face of the earth once it goes public. Just think, THEY KNOW THEY DID WORNG, but I DONT THINK THIS WILL CHANGE MUCH OF ANYTHING IN THE DRUG RIDDEN TOWN OF LINCOLN OR LEE. So all of you parents, keep you children close, becuase they will find someone else. Keep that in mind. First of all, for all that did RAT in this situation, HATS OFF TO YOU!!! A few more people should come forward and do the same, and maybe our streets in Maine would be cleaned up a little. I for one am not to comfortable sending my child to school knowing that our area streets are crawling with drugs. Also, for all that was involved in this, if you look at the ages of these men, they were definately old enough to know better. If anyone stopped and thought about what you would do if you was in this situation, anyone person in there right mind would rat to keep yourself out of prison of 5 10 or 15 plus years. Several of these men have several drug related charges from the past and have spent quite a bit of jail time for it. Obviously they all new what they were risking. Once again, For those that did supposedly RAT, GOOD FOR YOU!!! I AM SURE IT TOOK COURAGE! THANKS FOR HELPING TO ATTEMPT TO CLEAN UP OUR STREETS!!!!! If you would have followed this situation from the beginning, two of these people had previous drug charges. That isnt all that many out of the ones arrested. Some of the others are already serving time for this incident. Read the news carefully, and don't always believe what is said. It's not always true. i know that for a fact. News is just drama. this is the one of mike mayers children.he is not guilty of the charges he is accused of.i cant belive what the authorities have put him through.i cant imagine how many other people have been wrongly accused of crimes that they havent been any part of or would even dream of doing.he is a family man who has worked his whole life for what he has.this whole ordeal makes me sick Rusty, most of the men on here, are being accused for more than what they have done. This is all hearsay. i think the feds have to find more information that just i saw him do it. i know how you feel, I am one of the children from one of the other defendants, and i can only imagine how you are feeling too. But, everything will come out in the end, and when people do their time, and get out they can put all of this behind them. they have all learned, and will continue to learn. eventually this will all be behind us... Anyone who can read a newspaper and believe all they read, I truly feel sorry for you. I bet you believe in politics bull also. You should be very careful about what things you believe in. I know the case , there are so many false so -called facts involved , it would blow your mind to find out what pissed off people will do to help themselves. There are so many wrongs being done to alot of people involved. Your Justice system you praise is a money hungry fraudulent system. Don't be so quick to judge. Hear say is just that.If you believe that is enough , you probably should be very careful not to piss anyone off,just think.... Something like this could happen to you , would you want to prosecuted on hear say? Another thing do you really believe the words of a incarcerated child molester???? You give your hat's off to him ,MOM? Something very wrong with that picture. rustymayer,you and your brother and sister and daddy are in my prayers!!!! I love and miss you kids,you have the best dad in the world!!! anyone who knows mike knows what a great father he is!!!!!! xoxoxoxo |
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